Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-08-06
A Reasonable View.

Harry Gregg is in the city on his way
to the Basil mines on Castle creek. He
goes down with cook, blacksmith and
carpenter, and miners to inaugurate
operations. The company now has
ten-stamp mill ali ready to start up.
This will be set to work and new 40
stamp mill, all complete, ordered in
Chicago will be erected as soon as
possible and turned loose on noun
tain of ore that will pay for reduction.
The miners in the southern Hills
have never had half chance. They
have been handicapped by old worn out
quartz mills, and tenderfoot manage
ment, backed up by directors who ex-
pected dividend on the first cleanup,
and if it failed to materialize, they with
drew aid in the way Of cash, and the
plant collapsed.
In this instance it is differe;it. Mr..
Gregg is an experienced miner and mill
operator, not only in the Hills for years,
but in California, Nevada and other
mining countries. He knows gold ore
when he sees it, and after testing it,
knows of its value.
In this group Of mines he has made
careful and thorough prospects, has by
the ore and will now with the machin.
cry he will introduce, convince the
doubling public that there are ore
bodies in the southern Hills that will
pay to mine and mill.
HoMEsTAKE.
In connection with what we have
said in regard to the Basil mine, we
will give few items in regard to the
early history of the Homestake mine at
Lead City:
In 1876 it was owned by the Emanuel
brothers, who were erecting or had in
operation an arastra on Whitewood.
Fred Evans came in with freight train
from Pierre or some other point. The
owners saw him, told of how good
mine they had, a mill only wanting to
make it a producer They offered to
give him half interest in a 20-stamp
mill if he would erect one. Evans ar
ranged with them to furnish him with
a hundred pounds Of ore. This he
would take to Omaha, have it reduced,
and if Of sufficient value would telegraph
them 60 on to Chicago and order the
mill. The ore was selected, the best of
course. taken to Omaha by Evans and
reduced. The certificate Of assay stated
that there was but trace of gold, and
Evans notified the Emanuel boys that
the trade was off.
And again, the first cleanup Of the
Homestake S0-stamp mill did not pay
expenses, like the Stand BY, but unlike
the last named mine, the Homestake
was backed up by pluck and money.
The mill was overhauled, change
made in the screens, the pitch Of the
tables changed, and also a change in the
quantity Of quick used, the motion of
the cam shaft reduced, the water flow
to the batteries regulated. The mill
was started up again, and the next clean
up was so satisfactory that the mill has
been running constantly, night and day,
ever since--nine long years.
This illustrates our idea exactly,
science, money, pluck, stickatiyeness,
made success of the Homestake, and
the same tactics would make success
of the Penobscot, near Custer, and we
believe of the Basil near Castle creek.
The above. taken from late Issue of
the Deadwood Times, is, so far as the
comments are concerned, in strict har-
mony with the views so frequently ex-
pressed through the columns of the
CHRONICLE 1t can not be otherwise
than gratifying, and especially so at this
time, when the mineral resources of the
southern Hills are being decried by a
Deadwood defamer, to notice such
favorable comments from our northern
contemporary.